Plan for the Future
~~Dr. Gerard Murphy, 85, of Summit, NJ, son of Daniel and Sophia Murphy, passed peacefully on May 2, 2017. Born and raised in Jersey City, Jerry resided in Ridgewood, NJ and Bethel, Ct, before moving to Summit, 42 years ago. A graduate of St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City, Jerry went on to receive his BA from Fordham University, MA from Seton Hall University and Ed.D from New York University as a Founders Scholar and was also an IDEA Fellow at the Sloan Kettering Institute. A proud veteran, he served in the Army from 1953-1955, stationed in Germany.
In 1955 Jerry embarked on his lifelong passion in education employed by the Ridgewood Public Schools as a math teacher. Driven to make a greater impact, he became the principal of Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in 1959. In 1971 he accepted the position of Superintendent of Schools in Cliffside Park which tested his mettle. From there, he pursued a new challenge in Bethel, CT in 1972 as Superintendent of Schools and created a campus style setting. In 1974 he came to Summit as Assistant Superintendent and later became the principal of Lincoln School and what is now the Lawton C Johnson Middle School. After retiring in 1993, he accepted the position of Executive Director of the Academic Decathlon for the State of NJ. Several passions Jerry enjoyed were:being a member of the Maplewood Glee Club and Summit Old Guard, a football referee, a parishioner of St. Teresa of Avila Church in Summit, a Yankee fan and completing the NY Times crossword puzzles with his family.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 61 years Joan (Lasch) and sons; Jerry Jr & Craig, Timothy & Corinne, Christopher & Teri, Daniel & Dawn, and Stephen & Kim. He was the loving grandfather of Julia, Jeff, Kevin, Grace, Dylan, Madelyn, Aidan, Kiera, Nolan, Quinnlyn, Brennan and Liam. He is survived by his brothers, Raymond and John; sisters-in-law Mary, Jean and Melica. He is predeceased by his brothers Richard, Daniel, and Vincent, and sister Ronnie as well as his sisters-in-law Marie and Lorraine and brother-in-law Henry Rybak.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, May 8, 2017 at 10:45 am at St. Teresa of Avila Church, Summit, NJ. Visiting hours, Sunday, 2 to 6 pm at the Bradley Brough & Dangler Funeral Home, 299 Morris Ave., Summit, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to St. Peter’s Preparatory School, 144 Grand St, Jersey City, NJ 07302. For further information, or to send the family a condolence, please visit, www.www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.